4 new Bojangles' restaurants planned for Upstate

Local restaurateurs Allen and Lee Ann Johnston will open two new Bojangles' restaurants in Spartanburg County as part of a four-restaurant expansion of their franchise in the Upstate.

By TREVOR ANDERSONtrevor.anderson@shj.com

Local restaurateurs Allen and Lee Ann Johnston will open two new Bojangles' restaurants in Spartanburg County as part of a four-restaurant expansion of their franchise in the Upstate.The couple said they will open a new restaurant this fall near the intersection of Interstate 85 and Highway 101 in front of the Bass Pro Shops site. Another store is scheduled to open in early 2015 near the intersection of I-85 and Highway 29 at the entrance to the Spartan Exchange Village across from the On The Go gas station and Subway restaurant.Later this month, the Johnstons will open a store in Greer off Buncombe Road near Riverside High School. They have selected a site off Highway 29 in Taylors for their fourth new restaurant, but have not yet closed on the deal.“Bojangles' has just had phenomenal growth — it has just gone off like a rocket,” Allen Johnston said. “We decided to ante up and find a new development agreement. The company is growing and we wanted to be a part of that.”The Johnston's got into the Bojangles' business five years ago. They own a location off Highway 290 in Duncan, another in Lyman and one near Cherrydale Point in Greenville.Their restaurant careers started in 1985 when they opened a 7,000-square-foot Fuddruckers eatery off John B. White Sr. Boulevard. The couple owns and operates seven other Fuddruckers stores, including two in Matthews, N.C., two in Myrtle Beach, and one in Greenville, Anderson and Greer.Allen Johnston said they have about 330 employees. The opening of four new restaurants means that number will likely top 450 next year.“We are very blessed,” he said. “We have been very fortunate to surround ourselves with great people who are gifted and talented. We have a very team-oriented approach… I think that's why we have survived.”In 2010, the Johnstons implemented the Fudd Truck, a mobile kitchen unit that travels to special events around the Upstate. They have since added a second truck to their mobile fleet.Spartanburg-based Spencer/Hines Properties Inc. helped the Johnstons close on their new Spartanburg locations.Click here to follow Trevor Anderson on Twitter.